U2 Announce Tour Plans

The Irish band's efforts to take over the world once again will get into motion in the spring of 2005. U2's tour in support of the upcoming 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb' will kick off on March 1st in Florida. The quartet will then perform 34 more shows in the USA during the rest of the spring.

Unfortunately Canadian fans will have to wait until after U2 hits 30 stadiums in Europe before returning back to North America later in the year. After the rockers play the second bout of North American dates, they will then head on to Japan and Australia to quell fans on that side of the globe.

Reported openers for the massive tour include New York band The Scissor Sisters and Irish rockers Snow Patrol. Though neither have been confirmed, when speaking to Billboard.com, U2 manager Paul McGuiness admitted: "We love Snow Patrol. Their producer, Jacknife Lee, also worked on U2's album and they're Irish. There's a close connection."

The highly anticipated 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb' will become available to the North American public on November 23rd. The 11-track record is the follow-up to 2000's 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'. First single 'Vertigo' has already hit the top of the charts all around the world, and the album can be expected to do the same.